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SMART Lockdown Challenges

Last week, all the team at SMART were asked to come up with, and complete, a SMART Lockdown Challenge. And while some of us gave vague virtual nods, Tracy stepped up to the plate in a BIG way. She and her partner have written and recorded not one, but TWO lockdown songs for everyone’s listening pleasure. Listen to them here:

These songs can be downloaded for free, but even better, they can also be bought, at a cost of the donor’s choosing. 100% of the donations received will be going to support SMART’s Distribution Service, which is delivering essential food and toiletry packages to isolated and vulnerable adults, during the lockdown.

We appreciate anything that you can give. Find out more about donating to SMART here.

Keep a lookout for more news about SMART’s Lockdown Challenges!

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Over the Easter Holidays

SMART will not be running live Zoom online sessions on Good Friday, April the 10th and Easter Monday, April the 13th. You can join our online yoga, chair exercise and Tom’s art sessions located on our website anytime; we also have some great recipes from SMART’s kitchen. If you are feeling groovy you can send Sarah some of your favourite songs for SMART’s playlist!

Useful websites:

http://www.sane.org.uk/what_we_do/support/crisis/

www.thecalmzone.net

CNW-tr.SPA@nhs.net

Useful telephone numbers:

People who need mental health support and their carers are urged to use the Single Point of Access telephone number on 0800 023 650

Samaritans number 116 123

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wednesday afternoon music group

Hello everyone, thinking of you all on Music Wednesday especially! I hope you are all managing to listen to some music, and I’d love to know what you’re finding helpful, uplifting, relaxing or interesting, let me know and we can share it with others.

One member told me this week her favourite song is Stand by Me – a SMART music classic too!

Here are a couple of very different versions….see what you think…

version one
version two

It reminded me of great moments in SMART when we’ve all sung together and felt really good, the power of music to bring people together. Although we can’t be together round the piano at the moment, we are all still able to connect, so please call or email us, and check in to the online activities. I think we should have a zoom music tea break soon, so watch this space!

We also need your suggestions for the playlist we are putting together whilst we are all out of ciruclation…here’s one sent in by someone with a good sense of humour!

view playlist

Stay well, see you all soon hopefully

Sarah

Sarah.wilson@smartlondon.org.uk

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Wednesday afternoon music group

Good afternoon, everyone, I hope you are finding good music to keep your spirits up and your musical vibes going.

Usually on a Wednesday from 2-4pm we are jamming down in SMART, so I’d like to propose that we try to keep that routine going! How listening to some music each Wednesday afternoon, like I’m going to do? You could find some new songs or go through your album collection? Then we could have a “virtual tea break”, stopping like we always do around 3pm for a cuppa? It would be nice to know that we’re all thinking of each other and tuning in in every sense. At some point we could even try a zoom tea break, where we can all see each other!

I’m going to keep putting up tracks and websites that I come across, random things for you to try and investigate further, but what I’d really like is for you all to start suggesting some. How about we try and get a top 10 SMART favourite tracks?

And what about a Pandemic Playlist? What are you listening to that helps during this, that might help everyone?

Email your song choices to me at sarah.wilson@smartlondon.org.uk or call/text the SMART mobile 07341 560625 and I’ll start putting up a track every week for us to consider for the playlist! In the meantime, here are a couple of links to live classics from the Royal Albert Hall. The Hall is
closed for now, of course, but they are still sharing some of their brilliant concerts, have a look at their website, www.royalalberthall.com

Below are links to 2 classic performances from Iggy Pop and Led Zepplin…

Iggy Pop Performance

Led Zepplin Performance

Or maybe the Stereophonics are more your thing….

Stereophonics Performance

I look forward to hearing from you!

Sarah

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The tale of the new SMART piano

Way back in the autumn of 2019, before the world paused for a while, Amelia stoically kayaked miles down the Thames, an heroic effort for the good of SMART music! The beloved white piano has been played, trundled, clonked, bashed and more for years and years (Sarah hit a low note once and broke a string….?!) and many a mouse has slept in it. It has seen us well but has also seen better days.

After some research and discussion a few of us headed out to somewhere none of us had ever heard of (Northwood Hills?!) which is actually very accessible by the Metropolitan line and was pleasant. We found the piano shop recommended to us, a treasure trove of instruments, and a helpful man called Paul showed us round, made recommendations and we tried out several. There were some amazing ones, (beyond our budget) and digital ones (we wanted the real thing) but eventually we settled on one which was the right price and right feel.

Back at SMART we measured and re-measured and sent photos of our staircase so the delivery men knew what they were up against.
Everything was set, we knew it would fit, all was well. Then the world was afflicted by Coronavirus. There was much to-ing and fro-ing – the delivery was on, then off, then finally on again for Tuesday 24th March.

At 7am Sarah had a call to say sadly they couldn’t deliver, because of the lockdown enforced from the night before. Brian from the piano removal company said “pianos aren’t life or death”, which is very true in the grand scheme of things, although some of us view them as life-enhancing. For now he is going to keep it safe and sound in his piano warehouse somewhere just outside the M25.

So, we have our new piano, although for now it’s in isolation but we look forward to the day when we can all be reunited!

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Watch live opera online

There are lots of great music options popping up on line, so we will try and bring you some ideas each week in place of our usual Wednesday afternoon session. Today’s link is to the Royal Opera House, which is currently closed of course but are going to broadcasting full-length productions on various dates, including Friday 27th March, 3rd, 10th and 17th April. If you’ve never tried listening to ballet or opera music, or always thought it’s not you thing, why not give it a go now and use this time to hear some new music and learn something new?

Royal Opera House live streaming